Robert webb morgan



No. 607,872. Patented July 26, [898. R. W. MORGAN.

CURTAIN FUR VESTIBULES 0F CARS, 8L6. (Application filed Mar. 17, 1898.)(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

TWQLL.

I I L THE NORRIS PETERS CO PNOYO-LITHO WASHINGION, D. C.

No. 607,872. Patented July 26, I898.

R. w. MORGAN. A CURTAIN FOR VESTIBULES 0F CABS, 8L0.

(Application filed Mar. 17, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

W/ TNE SSE S ATTORNEY.

m: cams germs cc. PMDYO-LITHQ. WASHKNGYON, a. cv

, made detachable, so that upon the uncoupling ATENT FFTGE.

ROBERT \VEBB MORGAN, OF NElV YORK, N. Y.

CURTAIN FOR VESTIBULES'OF CARS, 84 0.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,872, dated July 26,1898.

Application filed March 1 7, 1898.

To all whom it may concern: i

Be it known that I, ROBERT WEBB MORGAN, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of New York, (Brooklyn,) in the county of Kings and Stateof New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inOurtains for the Vestibules of Cars, (vestibule- Trains,) of which thefollowing is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in curtains forthe vestibules ofcars, and pertains more particularly to means for applying the curtainsto and permitting their automatic detachment from the adjoining parts ofthe cars of what is known as a vestibuletrain.

It is customary to employ inner curtains of attractive material withinthe vestibules of cars, and these curtains are customarily held at theiropposite vertical edges upon the heads of screws or pins and arenecessarily of cars the curtains may be removed. The vestibule-curtainsare also of an elastic character, so as to yield with the lengtheningand shortening of the vestibule portion of the car, due to the jarringof the cars and their'travel around curves in the road. The presentinvention pertains to novel means whereby the opposite edges of thecurtain may be very quickly and securely applied in position and tomeans by which one side of the curtain will, upon the uncoupling of oneof the cars from the train, become automatically detached.

It is the duty of. the porter in a vestibuletrain to detach thevestibule-curtain when one of the cars is to be uncoupled, but itsometimes happens that the porter fails to do his duty in this regardand also that a car may be uncoupled without the porter having anyprevious notice of the same, and in either case the moving on of thetrain, leaving the un-f coupled car, would result, according to myinvention, in the automatic detachment of one entire edge ofthe'curtain, and thus the latter would be prevented from beingdestroyed.

The invention will be more fully understood from the detaileddescription hereinafter presented, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, in which-- Serial No; 674,158. (No model.)

Figure 1 is a central vertical longitudinal section through a portion ofthe adjoining cars of a vestibule-train and illustrating in position acurtain equipped with fastening devices and automatic releasing devicesof the character made the subject-of this application. Fig. 2 is anenlarged view of the lower portion of a vestibule-curtain provided withfastening devices embodying my invention, the curtain and fasteningdevices being illustrated in their normal position. Fig. 3 is a likeview of same, but illustrating the curtain as having been extended onhorizontal lines sufficiently to have effected the release of thefastening devices at one edge of the curtain; and Fig. 4 is an enlargeddetached sectional view of one of the fastening-devices and a portion ofthe curtain on the dotted line 4 t of Fig. 2.

'In the drawings, A A designate the adjacent portions of twovestibule-cars, and B the curtain therefor. The curtain B is, as usual,provided with the inner elastic strips 0, by which the curtain is heldin a somewhat wrinkled condition. The opposite vertical edges of thecurtain are held upon the headed pins or screws D, which are of usualcharacter and are illustrated on an enlarged scale in Fig. 4.

- My invention pertains to the means applied to the'opposite verticaledges of the curtain B for engaging the heads of the pins or screws Dand to the means by which the devices engaging said pins or screws atone edge of the curtain may become automatically released upon any unduelateral force being exerted against the curtain, but which will notbeing force exerted upon the curtain due to the cars passing aroundcurves.

The features composing the present invention are more fully illustratedin Figs. 2, 3, and 4, in which it will be seen that upon the oppositevertical edges of the curtain B are come released under the customarystretchand at its inner end the arm L. The inner edge of the hook K isinclined downward andv outward and passes on the outer side of the pinor screwD within the recess G. The pivot of the plate J is substantiallyin line with the recess G, and the arm L of said plate J extends upwardand inward beyond the vertical plane of the pivot a, which secures theplate J. To the arm L of the plate J is pivotally secured the link I),and this link at its lower end is pivotally secured to the link d, Whoselower end is pivotally secured to the plate E at a point inward from thevertical plane of the pivot Ct. The adjoining ends of the links I) d aresecured by a pivot which terminates in the head (2, and upon this pivotis preferably'secured the small link f to receive one end of the chaing, whose function will be described hereinafter.

The plate J, having the hook K, and the links I) d are shown in theirclosed position in Fig. 2 and in their open position in Fig. 3, and uponreference to these two figures it will be observed that when the hook Kis in its lower position around the screw or pin D the ad joining endsof the links Z) d are substantially in line with the pivot CL andoutward beyond a vertical line extending through the pivots h i, bywhich the outer ends of said links are secured.

In the position just described for the hook K and links Z) d, whichposition is illustrated in Fig. 2, it will be observed that the hook Ksecurely engages the screw or pin D and retains the side of the curtainin secure position, and that to release the edge of the curtain it isnecessary to press on the head e, so as to move the links I) d to theposition in which they are illustrated in Fig. 3, thereby causing theupper end of the link I) to pull downward on the arm L of the plate J,and thereby lifting the hook K from the screw or pin D. During themoving of the cars around curves and the natural stretching of thecurtain B thereby, the hook K will not be able to release itself fromthe screw or pin D, since the strain created by the stretching of thecurtain causes the pin or screw D to press against the downwardly andoutwardly inclined inner edge of the hook K, and this results in anatural tendency to elevate the hook K and thereby throw the arm L ofthe plate K inward and downward.

It will be seen upon an inspection of Fig. 2 that any action tending tomove the arm L of the plate J inward and downward while the links I) dare in their normal position shown would simply the more securely retainthe adjoining ends of the links I) d outward beyond the vertical planeof the pivots h 2,

the pins or screws D, and if it were always desirable to rely upon theporter for the detachment of the curtain it would be unnecessary toemploy the chain g, since the porter or other attendant may easilyrelease the hooks K from the pins or screws D by simply pressing on theheads 6 of' the rivet connecting the adjoining ends of the links I) d,in order to move said links and through them the hooks K into theposition illustrated in Fig. 3; but since it is desirable to providemeans for the automatic release of the hooks K along one edge of thecurtain from the pins or screws D a chain 9 for each fastening isprovided, and this chain, as shown in Fig. 2, extends from the smalllinkfof the fastening at one edge of the curtain to the plate F at theother edge of the curtain, the said chain being normally slack, so asnot to affect the hook K until the curtain B has been unduly extendedand all of the slack in the chain has been taken up thereby. It isdesirable to only provide for the automatic release of the fasteningdevice at one edge of the curtain, and hence but one chain for eachfastening device at one edge of the curtain is provided, and while thischain is illustrated as extending from the plate E at one side of thecurtain to the plate F at the other side of the curtain it need not thusextend entirely across the curtain nor directly to the plate F. It willbe found con\ 'enient,'however, to extend the chain 9 entirely acrossthe curtain, since the plates F afford suitable means for receiving theend of the chain not connected with the links f.

Fig. 2 illustrates the curtain and fastening devices in their normalposition, and, as above explained, the porter may detach the curtain bysimply moving the adjoining ends of the links b d inward to the positionshown in Fig. 3. In case of accident, however, or of a failure of theporter, either through neglect or for want ofinformation, to detach thecurtain upon the uncoupling of a car of the train and the startingonward of the train without the uncoupled car the curtain B would becomeunduly stretched and the chains g would become taut and pull on thelinks I) d and thereby elevate the hooks K from the pins or screws D, asshown in Fig. 3, the result being that by means of the chains g thehooks K at one edge of the curtain would-become automatically releasedfrom the screws or pins D, and thus the curtain would be saved frombeing torn by the separation of the cars. The chains are simply flexibleconnections, and I illustrate chains in view of their durability, but donot limit the invention to the use of either chains g or cords, butinclude by the term chains g any connection which may free the hooks Kupon any undue stretching or extension of the curtain B.

The fastening devices illustrated, without the chains g, are importantin that the opposite edges of the curtain may be not only securely heldthereby, but also in that by means of said fastening devices the curtainmay be very readily, conveniently, quickly, and securely applied inposition, the porter having plication without regard to the chains 9 maybe very readily and quickly accomplished by simply moving the adjoiningends of the links 6 cl inward, as shown in Fig. 3, since upon this beingdone the curtains become instantly free of the pins or screws D, andtheir release requires no further attention upon the part of the porteror other attendant.

It is a feature of importance thatin case of accident or a failure onthe part of the attendant to release the fastening devices at the edgeof the curtain said devices will become automatically released upon anyundue stretching or extension of the curtain B, since thereby in theinstance above referred to the curtains are prevented from beingdestroyed.

The words pins or screws D are used in the specification and claims ofthis application in a generic sense, and this application is not limitedto any special pins or screws to be engaged by the fastening devices onthe curtain. The pins or screws D simply represent, so far as thepresent invention goes, convenient knobs or projections to be engaged bythe hooked plates J. Noris the invention limited to the special forms ordetails of parts shown in the drawings, since said drawings representbut one embodiment of my invention.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,is-

1. For vestibulecars, the curtain, and

7 means for attaching the opposite side edges of said curtain to theadjoining portions of the cars, combinedwith means for automaticallyreleasing the edge of the curtain upon the undue extending or stretchingof the curtain; substantially as set forth.

2. For vestibule-cars, the curtain provided with elastic means forcreating a tension therein when the curtain is in use, and means forattaching the opposite side edges of said curtain to the adjoiningportions of the cars, combined with means for automatically releasingthe edge of the curtain upon the undue extending or stretching of thecurtain; substantially as set forth.

3. For vestibule-cars, the elastic curtain, and means for detachablysecuring the opposite side edges of said curtain to the adjoiningportions of the cars, combined with means for automatically releasingthe edge of the curtain upon the undue extending or stretching of thecurtain; substantially as set forth.

l. For vestib'ulecars having the headed screws or pins the curtainhaving along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass di rectly onsaid screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates topass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recessesin said plates, and means for automatically releasing or opening saidhooks upon the undue stretching or extending of the curtain;substantially as set forth.

5. For vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtainhaving along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass di rectly onsaid screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates topass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recessesin said plates, the connected links pivoted at one end to said platesand at the other end to said hooks, and means for operating said hooksand links; substantially as set forth.

6. For vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtainhaving along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass directly onsaid screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates topass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recessesin said plates, the connected links pivoted at one end to said platesand at the other end to said hooks, and means for automaticallyreleasing or opening said hooks upon the undue stretching or extendingof the curtain; substantially as set forth.

7. For vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtainhaving along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass directly onsaid screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates topass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recessesin said plates, the connected links pivoted at one end to said platesand at the other end to said hooks, and the normally slack connectionsheld at one end and at the other end secured to said links forautomatically releasing or opening said hooks upon the undue stretchingor extending of the curtain; substantially as set forth.

8. For vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtainhaving along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass directly onsaid screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates topass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the recessesin said plates, the connected links pivoted at one end to said platesand at the other end to said hooks, and means for operating said hooksand links, the said hooks, at their inner engaging edges being inclinedwhereby all usual pulling on the curtain serves to more securely holdthem in closed position; substantially as set forth.

9. For'vestibule-cars having the headed screws or pins, the curtainhaving along its vertical edge the plates recessed to pass directly onsaid screws or pins, combined with the pivoted hooks on said plates topass over the outer side of said screws or pins and close the'recessesin said plates, and the normally slack connections held at one end andat the other end secured to said hooks forautomatically releasing oropening said hooks-upon the undue stretching or extending of the curtainsubstantially as set forth.

10. For vestibule-cars having the headedscrews or pins, the curtainhaving along its vertical edge the hooks to engage said screws or pins,combined with the flexible connections for releasing said hooks upon theundue stretching or extending of the curtain; substantially as setforth.

Signed at New York, inthe county of New York and State of New York, this16th day of March, A. D. 1898.

ROBERT WVE BB MORGAN.

Vitnesses:

WM. PATERSON, O. R. LINCOLN.

